Suze Orman didn't pause before answering when I asked whether she'd ever considered replacing her charter flights with a fractional jet share. "I think they're rip-offs," said the personal-finance guru, in an interview that appeared in our April/May 2009 issue.

It's understandable that no equivalent to your local auto-parts store exists for business jets. Aircraft maintenance records must be documented scrupulously, and the pedigree of every nut, bolt and washer has to be recorded for possible FAA review. So, when it comes time to replace a fuel pump or engine mount-or even a tire-it makes a difference where the part comes from.

The Dish: Sin in a Tin This perfectly named chocolate pâté, which is laced with 60-percent Belgian bittersweet chocolate, is created from an old French recipe. But it isn't the recipe that makes it special as much as the proper assembly of ingredients, said the chef. The dessert can be served plain or with fresh berries.

A very good airplane is about to get better. The wide-cabin Falcon 900 trijet combines unequaled performance and versatility with a design that has remained popular since deliveries began in 1986. More than 400 are in service.

Corporate aviation has been hit particularly hard by the economic downturn. But the charter field may do relatively well, according to some industry insiders, as business jet travelers seek less costly alternatives to fractional jet shares and ownership of whole aircraft.

Under the "gotta have one" heading comes this little item: a seven-ounce, cellphone-sized satellite tracking device that also serves as an emergency-locator transmitter and allows you to check in with friends and provide them with trip progress reports.

Quote/Unquote

““I guess an airplane is pretty decadent, right? But if anyone has a problem with that, tell them to go f--k themselves, because I will live in that trailer [I own] in Alabama before I give up that f--kin’ airplane. That airplane is, hands down, the greatest luxury a human being could have. There’s nothing that f--king beats it. F--k a yacht.”
—musician Kid Rock, when asked to name his most decadent purchase
Source: Rolling Stone
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